KABUL/ISLAMABAD — The “tit-for-tat” military cycle reached a breaking point early Friday morning. Hours after the Afghan Ministry of Defense announced a large-scale offensive against Pakistani military installations, Pakistan responded with surgical airstrikes deep inside Afghan territory.
1. The Timeline of Escalation
- Thursday Night: Afghan forces launched a four-hour offensive across six border provinces. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid described the move as retaliation for Pakistani strikes on Sunday that Kabul claims killed dozens of civilians.
- Friday Pre-dawn: Multiple explosions rocked Kabul. Senior Pakistani security officials confirmed to AP that they targeted and destroyed two brigade bases belonging to the Afghan military in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.
- Friday Morning: Afghanistan confirmed Pakistani jets violated its airspace, striking military facilities in the southeast and south.
2. Conflicting Toll: The “Fog of War”
As is common in border conflicts, both sides provided wildly different accounts of the damage and casualties.
| Claim Category | Afghan Claim (Kabul) | Pakistani Claim (Islamabad) |
| Enemy Soldiers Killed | 55 Pakistani soldiers | 133+ Afghan fighters |
| Own Soldiers Killed | 8 Afghan soldiers | 2 Pakistani soldiers |
| Installations Destroyed | 19 Pakistani posts, 2 bases | 27 Afghan posts, 2 brigade bases |
| Prisoners Taken | Claimed several captured alive | Claimed 9 fighters captured |
3. The Root Causes: Terrorism and the Durand Line
The 2,611-kilometer Durand Line remains the heart of the dispute. While Pakistan recognizes it as a formal international border, Afghanistan has historically rejected the colonial-era boundary.
- Sunday’s Trigger: The current firestorm stems from Sunday, February 22, when Pakistan struck the Behsud district of Nangarhar. Pakistan claimed it was targeting militants; Kabul claimed the strikes hit a religious school (madrassa), killing women and children.+1
- Failed Diplomacy: A Qatar-mediated ceasefire in late 2025 briefly halted the violence, but follow-up talks in November 2025 collapsed without a formal agreement on counter-terrorism protocols.
Official Statements
Zabihullah Mujahid (Afghanistan): “In response to the repeated rebellions of the Pakistani military, large-scale offensive operations were launched against installations along the Durand Line.”
Attaullah Tarar (Pakistan): “Pakistan is giving a strong and effective response to unprovoked firing. We will not tolerate violations of our sovereignty.”